Blog

2012 November

Yesterday, the Communications Liberty and Innovation Project submitted comments in response to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding spectrum holdings released in late September. The filing recommends that the FCC:

I. Not alter its framework for analyzing spectrum aggregation during its review of a particular transaction or license application.

Last week Dave Burstein at DSL Prime posted an analysis of AT&T’s Project VIP that raises an interesting point: The geographic service areas for telephone and cable companies are as different as the inconsistent regulations that govern them. He notes that “92% of U.S. homes can get cable modem service,” which he says leaves “5-10% of the U.S. [with] a broadband problem.” He estimates that at last half of the homes that would receive only wireless broadband from AT&T through Project VIP have access to a cable modem alternative, which means the other half are not served by cable. He also estimates that the additional 1% of AT&T customers who are not scheduled to receive high speed broadband occupy about 20-30% of the geography in AT&T’s wireline service area. Burstein’s analysis indicates that AT&T is serving vast “frontier” areas (areas with a population density of six or fewer people per square mile), and that the territory served by AT&T is substantially larger than that served by cable.

An amazing thing happened last week, and I don’t mean the election. AT&T’s “Project Velocity IP” announcement revealed a broad consensus that private investment in all-IP communications infrastructure is critical to moving our nation forward in the 21st Century. The Project’s approach to Internet transformation is disruptive to the regulatory status quo. Although disruptive proposals are usually greeted with immediate and substantial opposition, the vast majority of policymakers, pundits, and industry participants welcomed the announcement.Read More

Today AT&T announced that it would invest an additional $14 billion in the next three years to expand its 4G LTE network to cover 300 million people and expand its wired all-IP broadband infrastructure to 75 percent of its customer locations throughout its 22-state wired service area. For many consumers, this investment will provide their first opportunity for access to high-speed broadband at home. For many others, it will provide their first opportunity to make a choice among competing providers of high-speed broadband services. This impressive commitment to transition outdated communications infrastructure to an all-IP future will benefit millions of consumers and accelerate our Internet transformation nationwide.

Federal offices in Washington, DC, were closed last Monday as Hurricane Sandy whipped its way through the region. Despite the formal shutdown, I expect employees in the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau worked 24 hours per day throughout the storm tracking the damage to our communications networks and providing emergency authorizations when necessary to restore service. Our first responders and those who support them are often the difference between life and death in a catastrophe.

The dedication and calm displayed by FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai on Monday was a testament to his personal resolve and a reminder of the bravery of FCC emergency personnel who report to work no matter the risk. Commissioner Pai had been scheduled to appear at 4G World in Chicago on Monday, but was unable to attend in person when his flight was canceled due to the storm.